Well, it sure was interesting Monday to hear how an opposing NHL head coach honestly views Patrick Marleau.

And we say "honestly" because the coach asked and was afforded anonymity in order to give his full view of the 33-year-old San Jose Sharks forward who has been maligned like few other NHL stars in this league over the past decade.

"To me, Patrick Marleau is a player that’s misunderstood and misrepresented," said the Western Conference coach. "He’s a very, very good 200-foot player. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s one of the best penalty killers in the league. He was a great player in the Olympics. He’s just a quiet guy. Even when he’s not scoring, he still contributes in other areas that he never gets any credit for. He does a lot of other things well that as a coach, you really appreciate."

So when this coach hears all the critics hammer Marleau, especially at playoff time, he doesn’t get it.

"It’s really, really unfair the criticism that he’s taken," said the coach. "If you really watch him carefully as an opposition coach, you appreciate all the little things that he does that gets you out of the ditch all the time. Honestly, he’s a much better player than he’s ever been given credit for."